By: Mary Vokes Irvine, CARE USA

On Wednesday, June 9th, Erin Raynor of CARE Canada and I left Tirana for a day trip to Fier to visit Camp Hope, which is managed by CARE. Accompanying us on the trip was a representative from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Fier is a three-hour drive south of Tirana. The roads are in extreme disrepair — our taxi driver (CARE employs local drivers for transporting staff) expertly manoeuvred around large potholes, dead animals and other road obstacles. Our travels took us through beach towns (the Adriatic Sea is beautiful but quite polluted along the Albania shore) and small farming communities, and past decrepit buildings and abandoned cars.

Camp Hope sits in a dusty open field, not unlike a desert. There are not any trees or shade whatsoever. US troops currently provide the camp security as well as liasing with the building contractors. The camp is under the auspices of the US initiative — Operation Shining Hope. A colonel from the Marines serves as head of camp, with army and air force personnel operating in various capacities. Armed military patrol the perimeter of the camp. For admittance, everyone must produce appropriate identification. As of June 9, there were 3,450 refugees at Camp Hope.

After passing through two security gates, we arrived at the CARE “office.” As camp manager, CARE handles logistics, interfaces with other agencies, serves as a liaison with military, ensures the general upkeep of the camp, and is responsible for receiving and registering arriving refugees. Additionally, CARE is required to have a 24-hour presence should any emergency situation arise. CARE has in its employ a team of expatriates, Albanians, and Kosovar refugees. Under UNHCR guidelines, CARE offers incentive pay for the refugees and standard wages for Albanian staffers.

A terrific Albanian staff member is a 15-year-old girl, Elona, who serves as an interpreter. Elona is a beautiful and gifted girl who is fluent in Albanian, English, French, Italian, and Spanish. With confidence, she translates in heated discussions between camp occupants and other officials. Elona escorted us on our visits with refugees and was often complimented on her dialect — she would laugh and say she has picked up the Kosovar dialect in her three days of working at the camp. Elona will be attending her final two years of high school on a full scholarship in South Wales, UK, and then hopes to attend “the best university in the world.” She plans to be a doctor, “not just a doctor, but a very good doctor,” and will certainly accomplish this goal. In such a poor country, where educational opportunities are limited, it is wonderful to meet a pearl such as Elona.

We first visited the schools, which are managed by Save the Children. No more than 20 tents serve as the school, and there are two sessions a day. Refugees who were teachers in Kosovo lead the classes of 25 to 30 students. A blackboard is in each classroom (tent) and students have access to textbooks and notebooks. We were warmly welcomed into a third grade classroom — “hello, hello” was their limited English vocabulary. Photographs will show smiling faces and dirty fingers forming peace signs.

During lunch in the mess tent, we spoke with Jennifer, the representative from ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency). ADRA is responsible for food and non-food items (toiletries, clothing, footwear etc.) at the camp. A Turkish on-site bakery produces more than 1,000 loaves of bread every day.

After lunch, we walked through the camp and visited with refugee families. Many of the occupants have enhanced their living quarters using scrap lumber and materials from the contractors. Each tent houses a family group, of which the numbers vary widely. Again, we had an entourage of children at our heels, all eager to hold our hands and talk with us. One of the girls asked if we brought any balls because the boys do not share the few soccer balls. They also asked for toys and games. All responded positively and gleefully that they go to school every day. They giggled at our questions and tried to be louder than the next in replying. A teacher joined the group and told us that she works with the younger children, playing games, drawing and other activities. Because of the heat, many kids were scantily clad — wearing nothing more than underwear — and had sunburned faces and shoulders.

We were invited to sit and visit with a family at their tent. One of the sons had used scrap lumber and old tenting materials to build a porch and a picnic bench. It was a welcome respite from the intense sun and heat! A family of eight lives in the tent: six boys and their parents. The second youngest son (16 years old) translated and told us that he only sporadically attends school because it is not challenging or interesting. He said that he has no books, only a writing tablet. His younger brother (11 years old) is well known at the camp for his perfect English and eagerness to be with soldiers and relief workers.

Erin and I learned that the father was chief economist for a hospital and all of the boys were highly educated, with the older ones in professions like education and engineering. The family lived in a 10-room house in the city and had a swimming pool. One night, they were roused from the their sleep and forced to watch as the Serbs burned their home to the ground. With only the clothing on their backs and a transistor radio, they embarked on the long journey to Albania. Their family was lucky — they were not separated and arrived together in Kukes, Albania. Before leaving Kosovo, money and identification were taken from them by the Serbs.

The mother spoke about the lack of fresh produce for their family of big appetites. To compensate, one of the boys used his “incentive pay” from camp jobs to purchase produce in the town of Fier. They also spoke of their desire to have better cooking facilities, but were making do with the communal kitchens. All were skeptical about the peace accord, saying they would wait until NATO told them it was safe to return to Kosovo. Their greatest concern was for the family members who stayed behind in Kosovo.

They were interested to know about Erin’s and my backgrounds — did we go to university, have families, like our jobs, etc. When I told them that I worked for CARE in Chicago, they all smiled and said, “Chicago Bulls.” I laughed and we launched into a discussion about Michael Jordan’s retirement and his product endorsements.

Later in the day, CARE facilitated a Block Meeting (they are held every day at 5 PM.) Camp Hope is divided into blocks and each block elects a leader. The Block Meeting is a forum for the leaders to meet with CARE, the military and other involved agencies to express concerns regarding camp resources and other issues. On this particular evening the major concern was the healthcare — the refugees felt that medical services could be expanded and discussion of needs ensued. The meeting lasted a few hours, which is not surprising since this is their only source of intellectual stimulation.

At 8 PM we departed the camp — exhausted, hot and dirty. Meeting with refugees and learning of their losses, plight and uncertain future was an experience not to be forgotten. For people who had lost so much — material possessions, loved ones, privacy — their faith and optimism were unwavering and inspirational.